Wednesday, July 30, 2008

It's my birthday and it's terrible. Yeah!!!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

THE ROLLING STONES - Street Fighting Man / No Expectations - London - 1968

There's not really a whole lot that I could say about the Stones that hasn't been said before in about a hundred different ways, so I'm not going to try too hard here. Here's the thing, I happen to love pre-70's Stones, and I also happen to think 'Street Fighting Man' is one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time.

The note-worthy thing about this single is that "Street Fighting Man' is a different mix than what I'm used to. The music is about the same, but Mick's vocals are noticably different, the mix is very dirty. You can see why they remixed it, but I think it sounds great. I can't tell for sure if it's a completely different vocal or just a peculiar mix, but it sounds really raw. Super cool.

'No Expectations' seems to be the standard mix, and it's a good song, just not a favorite Stones' song of mine.

Alright.

PsychedelicElvis

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

BOB DYLAN - Knockin' On Heaven's Door / Turkey Chase - Columbia - 1974

I've recently been placed, rather abruptly, into a situation that is forcing me (or encouraging me, depending on how you look at it) to examine my life, or life in general, with a different point of view. Some things that I may have viewed as certainties have been shaken up and now I'm re-assessing the whole thing. The Big Picture.

This process has inevitably led to a spike in the amount of sad-bastard music I listen to, and being the chronically morbid person that I am, I'm stearing clear of the sad songs that are merely about love lost. I'm jumping right into the heart of darkness; death songs.

While I can't deny the immediate appeal of pure despair and pain that some of these songs recall, there are a few that surpass that and end up being truly beautiful. 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' (strictly Dylan's own version) is one of these rare gems.

Inside the simplistic structure of this song is the story of a man who feels his time running out, and though there is nothing outwardly optimistic in the words that are sung, somehow his voice conveys a sense of acceptance. Paired with some of the most haunting and beautiful backing voices I've ever heard, this song kicks the shit out of me when I'm listening with the right ears.

Times like these, I'm all bruised up.

PsychedelicElvis